NFL Week 1 Picks

The NFL regular season has started, and the matchups for Week 1 are as following.

September 9th Match-ups

Time

Home Team

Away Team

1:00 PM

Chicago Bears

Vs.

Indianapolis Colts

1:00 PM

Kansas City Chiefs

Vs.

Atlanta Falcons

1:00 PM

Cleveland Browns

Vs.

Philadelphia Eagles

1:00 PM

New Orleans Saints

Vs.

Washington Redskins

1:00 PM

Detroit Lions

Vs.

St. Louis Rams

1:00 PM

Tennessee Titans

Vs.

New England Patriots

1:00 PM

Minnesota Vikings

Vs.

Jacksonville Jaguars

1:00 PM

New York Jets

Vs.

Buffalo Bills

1:00 PM

Houston Texans

Vs.

Miami Dolphins

4:25 PM

Arizona Cardinals

Vs.

Seattle Seahawks

4:25 PM

Green Bay Packers

Vs.

San Francisco 49ers

4:25 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Vs.

Carolina Panthers

8:20 PM

Denver Broncos

Vs.

Pittsburgh Steelers

September 10th Match-ups

Time

Home Team

Away Team

7:00 PM

Baltimore Ravens

Vs.

Cincinnati Bengals

10:15 PM

Oakland Raiders

Vs.

San Diego Chargers

NFL Week 1 Picks

Chicago Bears vs. Indianapolis Colts (Chicago Bears to Win)

The Chicago Bears to beat the Indianapolis Colts.

Indianapolis Colts Rankings

Chicago Bears Rankings

30th

OFFENSE

24th

25th

DEFENSE

17th

27th

PASSING

26th

26th

RUSHING

9th

The Colts have lost their greatest advantage, their star QB Peyton Manning to the Texans and this has left their team hurting on the offensive side. Without that key player, they are left trying to pick up the pieces, whether it is for passing or rushing. The Bears simply outmatch them by far in regards to rushing, since they do not do so well at passing either. The one aspect that will get the Bears the win is their defense, which has more experience and skilled than the Colts.

Atlanta Falcons vs. Kansas City Chiefs (Atlanta Falcons to Win)

The Atlanta Falcons to beat the Kansas City Chiefs

Atlanta Falcons Rankings

Kansas City Chiefs Rankings

10th

OFFENSE

27th

12th

DEFENSE

11th

8th

PASSING

25th

17th

RUSHING

15th

The Falcons completely dominate the Chiefs in terms of Offense, clearly showing a dominant factor in passing; with their QB Matt Ryan. Defense wins games, but in this case both teams show a very efficient defensive lineup, making that point moot. The Falcons will be winning the game by having a better offense, as well as using their defense to stop the less than average Chief offense.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Cleveland Browns (Philadelphia Eagles to Win)

This match-up is highly skewed in favor of the Eagles.

Philadelphia Eagles Rankings

Cleveland Browns Rankings

4th

OFFENSE

29th

8th

DEFENSE

10th

9th

PASSING

24th

5th

RUSHING

28th

The Eagles are simply too overpowered for the Browns. The one area that the Browns could compete with the Eagles would be the defense, but the Eagles offense can easily overcome the defense; while the Browns offense would not do very well against the Eagles defense. The one advantage that the Browns have over the Eagles is the home team advantage, but that doesn’t add up to much when the skill is that far apart.

The Saints have one the perfect offensive combinations in the League, showing a high potential in both the passing and rushing. The one area that could prove to be a problem is trying to stop the Redskins passing, but they should have that covered with DE Turk McBride and DE Martez Wilson. The Saints have been able to beat better defenses with their QB Drew Brees.

St. Louis Rams vs. Detroit Lions (Detroit Lions to Win)

The Lions have shown a favorable increase in offensive performance compared to the Rams.

St. Louis Rams Rankings

Detroit Lions Rankings

31st

OFFENSE

5th

22nd

DEFENSE

23rd

30th

PASSING

4th

23rd

RUSHING

29th

The Rams have not been doing well for various seasons, and have been unable to increase their offensive and defensive performance. The Lions have proven to be a solid team when it comes to the passing plays, with QB Matthew Stafford whom posted very good stats last season. Both of the team’s defenses are about equal, with the Lions having a better passing defense; with LB Stephen Tulloch and CB Chris Houston.

Simply based on how the Patriots have performed, and continue to perform through the seasons, it isn’t a matter of which team has the better defense, but the better offense.

New England Patriots Rankings

Tennessee Titans Rankings

2nd

OFFENSE

17th

31st

DEFENSE

18th

2nd

PASSING

12th

20th

RUSHING

31st

The Titans have the home game advantage, as well as having a better defense than the Patriots, but when it comes to stopping the passing game, the Titans lack the man power to stop the plays. They do have a great rush defense, but the Patriots will use their passing to overcome that fact. The Patriots, along with QB Tom Brady and his star receivers, WR Wes Welker, TE Aaron Hernandez and TE Rob Gronkowski, have been able to prove again and again that their offense is good enough to beat any defense.

The Vikings do have the home game advantage, along with a much better offense than the Jaguars; the one factor that could happen determine the outcome of the game is the Jaguars defense shutting down the Vikings offense.

Jacksonville Jaguars Rankings

Minnesota Vikings Rankings

32nd

OFFENSE

18th

6th

DEFENSE

21st

32nd

PASSING

28th

12th

RUSHING

4th

Even with a powerful rushing, and a below average passing game, the Vikings will have a big problem trying to run the ball past the 9th best rush defenders in the League; as well as passing against the 8th best passing defense in the League. This is where the Jaguars will be able to win the game, by keeping the Vikings offense at bay. The Jaguars will have to try and improve their passing game, as the Vikings have bad pass defense. If the Jaguars are able to accomplish those two factors, we are looking at the first Underdog win of the week.

Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets (New York Jets to Win)

This is another difficult match to predict, as there is a split between which will overcome the other; the better defense or the better offense.

Buffalo Bills Rankings

New York Jets Rankings

14th

OFFENSE

25th

26th

DEFENSE

5th

15th

PASSING

21st

13th

RUSHING

22nd

As a rule of thumb, I always place more weight on the teams with the better defense; unless their opponents have proven to beat the better defense more often than not. The Jets excel at defending against the passing, ranking 5th, and they are above average against the rush, being ranked 13th. However, the Bills rank low in terms of defending against the pass and the rush, and that is what is going to give the Jets the victory, using the improved QB Mark Sanchez. This will be a very close and exciting game.

Miami Dolphins vs. Houston Texans (Houston Texans to Win)

The Texans have been improving their offensive passing, with their QB, Matt Schaub.

Miami Dolphins Rankings

Houston Texans Rankings

22nd

OFFENSE

13th

15th

DEFENSE

2nd

23rd

PASSING

18th

11th

RUSHING

2nd

The Texans were already a solid team, with their incredible defense, and their good rushing game; the one thing they lacked was a better passing game. The Texans passing should have continued to improve with their QB’s improvements, so this game should be a good testing ground for Matt Schaub. With this combination, the Texans are set to become an NFL powerhouse so early into their creation.

Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals (Seattle Seahawks to Win)

The Seahawks and the Cardinals are pretty average when comparing their stats, but the Seahawks still outmatch them when it comes to defense.

Seattle Seahawks Rankings

Arizona Cardinals Rankings

28th

OFFENSE

19th

9th

DEFENSE

19th

22nd

PASSING

17th

21st

RUSHING

24th

Even with the Seahawks playing on the road, they have a much better chance of stopping the Cardinals from either passing or rushing the ball with their defense. The Cardinals have an average defense, which will give the Seahawks opportunities to score more than the Cardinals will. On top of that, the Seahawks were able to post much better rushing stats than the Cardinals last season, and with RB Marshawn Lynch returning to the lineup it should be fair game. Seahawks WR Doug Baldwin has impressive stats for only being his 2nd season playing.

San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers (Green Bay Packers to Win)

This match is truly a toss-up; the Packers have an incredible offense, while the 49ers have an excellent defense. The one turning point could be the fact that the Packers are playing at home.

San Francisco 49ers Rankings

Green Bay Packers Rankings

26th

OFFENSE

3rd

4th

DEFENSE

32nd

29th

PASSING

3rd

8th

RUSHING

27th

The reason the Packers would win this difficult match is thanks to the fact that they play to the 49ers weakness, the pass defense. The 49ers are ranked 1st at the rush defense, but have an average pass defense. The Packers will be passing more often than rushing, which will work in their favor; the Packers may not have a good defense, but they are good enough to stop the rushing plays the 49ers depend on. The Packers simply are strong where the 49ers are weak.

Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Carolina Panthers to Win)

The Panthers have a good chance of winning on the road.

Carolina Panthers Rankings

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Rankings

7th

OFFENSE

21st

28th

DEFENSE

30th

13th

PASSING

16th

3rd

RUSHING

30th

The Buccaneers and the Panthers, both, have horrible defense; which is why this match will be settled between the offense, which is clearly in favor of the Panthers. The Panthers have a great offensive lineup. The rushing is comprised of QB Cam Newton, and RB’s Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams; while the receivers are RB Jonathan Stewart, WR Steve Smith, and TE Greg Olsen. With this great offensive lineup, the Panthers are sure to beat the Buccaneers on their home turf.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Denver Broncos (Pittsburgh Steelers to Win)

The Steelers have always had a top ranked defense, and with their offensive side improving, they are able to keep the Broncos rushing at bay.

Pittsburgh Steelers Rankings

Denver Broncos Rankings

12th

OFFENSE

23rd

1st

DEFENSE

20th

10th

PASSING

31st

14th

RUSHING

1st

The one reason the Steelers will be able to win this match against the Broncos is thanks to their strong passing and rushing defense, as well as the fact that the Broncos do not have a very good defense in either of those aspects. Even though the Broncos have acquired star QB, Peyton Manning, they will still lack the tenacity to overcome the Steelers defense. As the season progresses, the Broncos may start to show signs of improving their passing game.

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens (Baltimore Ravens to Win)

The Ravens have always had a solid defense, but in their matchup against the Bengals they may have to rely more on their offense.

Cincinnati Bengals Rankings

Baltimore Ravens Rankings

20th

OFFENSE

15th

7th

DEFENSE

3rd

20th

PASSING

19th

19th

RUSHING

10th

This game is going to be a close one, but the Ravens will still be able to pull out in front, thanks to their better offensive lineup. Both teams have excellent passing and rushing defenses, so it will be up to the team that can create the most plays, in this case the Ravens have a more likely chance to create the plays. The Ravens have RB Ray Rice, who performs well at both rushing and receiving. The Bengals lost their star RB, Cedric Benson, so their rushing game may be off balance.

San Diego Chargers vs. Oakland Raiders (San Diego Chargers to Win)

The Chargers are going to be the other Underdog team to win their match during the first week of the NFL season.

San Diego Chargers Rankings

Oakland Raiders Rankings

6th

OFFENSE

9th

16th

DEFENSE

29th

6th

PASSING

11th

16th

RUSHING

7th

The Chargers will be able to stop the Raiders passing and rushing attempts much better than the Raiders will against them. The Raiders also are weak against the passing plays, which will give the Chargers the advantage in the offense. Oakland lost one of their better running backs, Michael Bush to the Bears, leaving a gap in their rushing. While San Diego still has their star RB Ryan Mathews, and TE Antonio Gates. This will certainly help the Chargers win against the Raiders.